Wendy L. Hadley 1953-2011 PITTSFIELD Wendy L. Hadley, 57, of 193 Elberon Ave, Pittsfield, died peacefully Wednesday February 9, 2011 at home from Myelodysplastic Syndrome, surrounded by her family. Born on May 20, 1953, in Pittsfield, she was the daughter of Warren L. and Ruth Cornock Hadley. She attended local schools graduating from Taconic High School in 1972. Wendy served many years as a volunteer at Berkshire Medical Center, and worked at Royal Cleaners for many years. Wendy leaves her sisters Linda (George) Spring, Susan (William) Hersey, Beth (Chris) Goetze, Her brothers Warren (Gail) Hadley, Theodore (Estela) Hadley, Scott( Sheila) Hadley and Michael Hadley. Many nieces and nephews, many grand nieces and grand nephews and many, many friends. The family would also like to offer a special thanks to Berkshire Hospice. FUNERAL NOTICE: Calling hours will be Saturday February 12, 2011 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses at 235 Dalton Division Road, Dalton MA, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. followed by a memorial service at the same location at 3 p.m. Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice Care in the Berkshires or The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
ADAMS- David A. “Mousie” Kelsey, 57, of 17 Murray St., died April 28, 2010 at Berkshire Medical Center. Born March 5, 1953, in New York, NY, the son of Louis and Marie Reeves Kelsey Sr., he graduated from high school in New York City, and attended Springfield Technical College for the radiological technician program. David was employed by various businesses in North Adams and was a jack of all trades. David was a very capable person and was always there to lend a helping hand whenever one was needed, he volunteered at the Red Cross, the North Adams Library and for the Food Project. He leaves his wife the former Brenda Nichols, children Misty, David Jr., Theresa, Joshua, Chanell, Stevie, Totianna, Teresa, Davella, and Charisma, brother Louis Kelsey and his wife Paula, several nieces and nephews and many cousins. FUNERAL.NOTICE- Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11am at the North Adams Congregational Church. There will be no calling hours. The WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 220 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201 is in charge or arrangements.
Arlia Sarah Tomlinson Bailey 1921-2011 PITTSFIELD Arlia Sarah Tomlinson Bailey, 89, of New Lenox Rd., died Tuesday at Laurel Lake following a long illness. Born June 21, 1921 in Homerville, Georgia, the daughter of Sherman D. and Vashti King Tomlinson. Arlia "Tommie" graduated from Clinch County H.S. in Homerville, GA. She earned her B.S. degree at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga., and her master's degree at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. In 1950 she came to the Berkshires and taught Natural History, for the Massachusetts Audubon Society and later transferred into the Pittsfield School Department, where she taught second grade for 26 years, retiring in 1981. After her retirement from teaching, she founded the "Pittsfield Beautiful" organization and was president of the group until 2005. One of Tommie's favorite pastimes was camping and spending time at their camp in Maine. She leaves her husband Richard H. Bailey whom she married February 16, 1951; they would have had 60 great years together on Wednesday, February 16 this year. Arlia "Tommie" was predeceased by her parents, brother Sherman D. Tomlinson of Nahunta, Ga., sister Martha R. Tomlinson of Homerville, Ga. She leaves several nieces and nephews in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Tommie's family would like to thank the staff at the Alzheimer's unit for their exceptional care at the Village at Laurel Lake. HospiceCare of the Berkshires for the care they have been giving her for the past month and keeping her comfortable in her last days. FUNERAL NOTICE: At "Tommie's" request there will be no calling hours. Relatives and friends will gather at later date for committal in the Pittsfield Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy for "Tommie" may be made to either "Pittsfield Beautiful Inc." or to HospiceCare in the Berkshires care of the WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 220 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Thoughts and wishes may be emailed to condolences@wellingtonfuneralhome.com.
Richard Warren Samsel 1920-2011 PITTSFIELD Richard Warren Samsel passed away Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at the Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility in Pittsfield after a long illness. He was born July 2, 1920, son of Richard C. and Lucy R. Samsel. He graduated from the Evanston, Illinois High School. He attended Northwestern University, graduating in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. At Northwestern, he was elected to the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and the Sigma Xi Honor Society which was devoted to the promotion of research in science. Warren served as a consulting development engineer at General Electric Company for 46 years. He was a graduate GE's Advanced Engineering Program (A, B, C Courses). He was a Fellow of the IEEE, and a member of the Acoustical Society of America. At GE, he was known as a problem solver. He developed mathematical models for predicting the performance of critical weapons systems. He held one of the five basic patents essential to modern-day sonar systems. From its inception, he worked on the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program, one of the major programs based in Pittsfield's GE. Two of his inventions were critical to the success of that program. In 1979, he became one of only two Pittsfield engineers who earned GE's prestigious Steinmetz Award. This award was granted to Warren "for inventing sonar systems transducers and electro-optical apparatus for a fire control system, as well as for his contributions in defense technology." At the time he retired from GE in 1987, he had been awarded more than 20 patents. Warren was a member of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, Congregational, where he served as deacon for three years. Warren enjoyed family gatherings greatly. Beloved by his family, Warren is survived by his wife of 60 years, Bette Samsel, children Peter Samsel of Hinsdale, Peg Samsel of Pittsfield, Dick Samsel and his wife Nadine and their son Tanner Morgan of Lindenhurst, Illinois, and by his sisters Rosemary Baring of Golden, Colorado and Betty Woolbright of Jonesboro, Georgia and by many nephews and nieces. The Samsel family wishes to thank the team at the Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility for their excellent care and kindness for Warren. FUNERAL NOTICE: Private funeral service's for Mr. Richard W. Samsel will be held at the convenience of the family. Calling hours will be held Tuesday, February 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. at WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME in Pittsfield. Donations in memory of Richard Warren Samsel may be made to the First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, Congregational or to HospiceCare in the Berkshires, in care of the WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 220 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Thoughts and wishes may be sent to condolences@wellingtonfuneralhome.com.
Margaret Violet Shaw 1915-2011 DALTON Margaret Violet (McGowan) Shaw, 96, formerly of Dalton, passed away Tuesday, February 17, 2011 at Berkshire Place, Pittsfield after a brief illness. Born January 12, 1915 in Morristown, N.J., she was the daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Maxwell) McGowan. A 1933 graduate of Morristown (NJ) High School, she then graduated from Mrs. Hopkins Secretarial School in Summit, NJ. On March 11, 1944 she married the love of her life, Albert F. Shaw with whom she shared 59 years of marriage until his death in 2003. A resident of Dalton for thirty-eight years, Mrs. Shaw worked for 15 years in the office of the Clerk of Courts for Berkshire County in Pittsfield and prior to moving to the Berkshires, she worked for RCA and Vanadium Steel corporations in New York City. After retirement, she and her husband had the opportunity to travel extensively both within the United States and abroad. A member of The First Congregational Church of Dalton, she was the former secretary of the Church Women United group in addition to serving on the Executive Board of the church. An avid and lifelong reader, she was a member of the Berkshire Book Club and a member of the Twentieth Century Club. She is survived by three sons and their wives, John F. and Deborah Shaw of Laurel, Md.; Arthur M. and Colleen Shaw of Dalton, and Robert M. and Kathleen Shaw of Beverly, Mass., and is survived by three grandchildren and two great grandchildren; Andrew and Emily (Shaw) Martin and their children Aidan and Wyatt of Souderton, Pa., and Aaron W. and Nathan R. Shaw of Beverly, Mass., also two sisters-in-law, Laverne McGowan of Amherst, Va., and Elizabeth McGowan of Bradenton, Fla., as well as many nephews, nieces and dear friends. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Shaw was predeceased by her sister Ruth Sharp of New Jersey and her brothers, James McGowan of Virginia and Wesley McGowan of Florida. FUNERAL NOTICE: A memorial service for Margaret V. Shaw, at The First Congregational Church of Dalton is planned for the spring. Donations in her memory may be made to First Congregational Church of Dalton or Berkshire Place, in care of the WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 220 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Thoughts and wishes may be emailed to condolences@wellingtonfuneralhome.com